2024 Mares’ Hurdle Odds, Favourites & Preview – Cheltenham Festival

In this post, we take a look at the 2024 Cheltenham Mares’ Hurdle odds and give you a rundown of the chances of each of the betting favourites.

2024 Cheltenham Mares’ Hurdle Odds

What is the Cheltenham Mares’ Hurdle?

The David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle, currently known for sponsorship purposes as the Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle, is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older.

Mares Hurdle Distance & Obstacles

The race is run on the Old Course at Cheltenham over a distance of about 2 miles and 4 furlongs (2 miles, 3 furlongs and 200 yards, or 4,005 metres). Horses competing in the race have to jump ten hurdles over the course of the trip.

2024 Mares Hurdle Betting Favourites

Lossiemouth

Odds

The favourite to win the 2024 Mares Hurdle is Lossiemouth at odds of 9/4. Those odds imply that Lossiemouth has a 30.8% chance of winning the 2024 Mares Hurdle.

Pedigree

Sire: Great Pretender (IRE)

Dam: Mariner’s Light (FR)

Career Record

Form

The 4-year-old Lossiemouth has been a consistent scorer for the WP Mullins stable since moving from the Yannick Fouin yard in November of 2022 following a success in his maiden outing in Auteuil.

The horse has gone on to win 4 of his 5 outings for the team including his last 2 races. This mare was most recently an impressive winner in Punchestown back in April when she beat seven other horses including runner-up Zarak The Brave by 1½ lengths.

Cheltenham Form

This 5-year-old already has a win to her name at Cheltenham. She won the JCB Triumph Hurdle at last year’s Cheltenham Festival having gone off as the 11/8 favourite.

Verdict

Lossiemouth’s almost flawless form since debuting suggests that she is a worthy Mares’ Hurdle favourite.

Ashroe Diamond

Odds

The co-second favourite to win the 2024 Mares Hurdle is Ashroe Diamond at odds of 6/1. Those odds suggest that Ashroe Diamond has a 14.3% chance of winning this race.

Pedigree

Sire: Walk In The Park (IRE)

Dam: Saine D’Esprit (FR)

Career Record

Form

The 6-year-old Ashroe Diamond has been another consistent scorer for the WP Mullins stable. However, contrary to stablemate Lossiemouth, Ashroe Diamond has been racing for the Mullins team for the entirety of her career since debuting back in May 2021 in Wexford.

This bay mare’s most recent outing came at Fairyhouse in December 2023 where she finished a disappointing 3rd, 13 lengths back from race winner Teahupoo. It should be noted that the horse was returning to the track after a 238-day break so it wouldn’t be fair to read too much into that run.

The fact that Ashroe Diamond has finished inside the top 3 in every outing over hurdles, including 3 wins from 6 races, tells you a lot about the calibre of this horse.

Cheltenham Form

Ashroe Diamond is yet to race at Cheltenham. She had been expected to be the number one horse for Willie Mullins in last year’s Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle at the festival but the trainer wasn’t happy with her and opted to hold her out of running prior to declarations.

Verdict

Third last time on track could be misleading and the horse should be a lot fresher come Cheltenham time. Certainly, one to keep onside.

Gala Marceau

Odds

The other co-second favourite for the 2024 Mares Hurdle is Gala Marceau at odds of 6/1. Those odds imply that Gala Marceau has a 14.3% chance of being crowned the next Mares’ Hurdle winner.

Pedigree

Sire: Galiway (GB)

Dam: Alma Marceau (FR)

Career Record

Form

Like race favourite Lossiemouth, Gala Marceau was not always a member of the WP Mullins stable. The 4-year-old horse moved from the S Dehez training yard in November 2022 and since the move, she has 2 victories, 2 runner-up finishes and 1  3rd place finish from 5 outings.

The horse most recently ran in Auteuil back in May over the 2-mile 3½ furlong trip. On that occasion, she beat 9 other horses including 2nd-placed Losange Bleu by 7 lengths.

Cheltenham Form

This bay mare has raced once at Cheltenham. That outing came at last year’s JCB Triumph Hurdle where she finished 2nd to the favourite for this race, Lossiemouth.

Verdict

Gala Marceau is the only horse to defeat race favourite Lossiemouth and that is the greatest praise you can put on her chances of success in this year’s Cheltenham Mares’ Hurdle.

Love Envoi

Odds

Next up in the betting is Love Envoi who is an 8/1 chance to win the Mares Hurdle at the 2024 Cheltenham Festival. Those odds suggest that Love Envoi has an 11.1% chance of 2024 Mares’ Hurdle glory.

Pedigree

Sire: Westerner (GB)

Dam: Love Divided (IRE)

Career Record

Form

The 7-year-old Love Envoi is trained by Harry Fry since switching stables from Thomas Doyle following the horses’ maiden victory in March 2021 at Wexford. The switch was completed in November 2021 after a break from the track.

We last saw Love Envoi at Sandown where she returned after a 224 day break from the track. Despite going off as a 6/4 favourite, the 8-year-old could only manage 2nd place, 8 lengths behind race winner Not So Sleepy.

Prior to that break, we saw Love Envoi at Punchestown back in April. Over a 2m3f trip she finished a disappointing last from a field of 6 horses, 37 lengths back from winner Echoes In Rain.

Cheltenham Form

Love Envoi is no stranger to Cheltenham, and indeed success at the Cheltenham Festival. In 2022 she won the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle at the festival. She followed that up in 2023 with a 2nd place finish in this race, 1½ lengths back of winner Honeysuckle.

Verdict

The horse has been without success since January 2023 and will need to up its game considerably from its last outing to stand a chance in this race. With that said, strong Cheltenham form makes Love Envoi a tempting bet in this race.

You Wear It Well

Odds

Further out in the betting is You Wear It Well who is an 18/1 chance to win the Mares’ Hurdle at the 2024 Cheltenham Festival. Those odds suggest that You Wear It Well has a 5.3% chance of 2024 Mares Hurdle glory.

Pedigree

Sire: Midnight Legend (GB)

Dam: Annie’s Answer (IRE)

Career Record

Form

The 6-year-old You Wear It Well has been trained by Jamie Snowden for the entirety of the horse’s career on the track so far, leading the horse to an impressive record where he has only placed outside the top 2 once.

You Wear It Well most recently ran at Sandown in December 2023 as part of a 4-horse field. She went off as the 5/4 favourite in that race but finished a disappointing 3rd after the 2m trip, 14½ lengths back of winner Not So Sleep owing in large part to a mistake at the last.

Prior to that outing, we saw this mare at Wetherby in November of 2023. Over the 2m trip that day, she beat 5 other horses and most impressively finished 5 lengths ahead of runner-up Luccia. This was the horse’s first outing in 203 days following an average showing at Aintree.

Cheltenham Form

You Wear It Well has only run once at Cheltenham and what a run it was as it won her the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle at the 2023 Cheltenham Festival. The reigning Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle champion is bidding to become the first horse to win both the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle (first run in 2016) and the Mares’ Hurdle.

Verdict

This could be a horse to watch in the market. Luccia is no slouch on track and coming out on top against her along with last year’s Cheltenham success suggests that You Wear It Well has major credentials here.

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Profile Of Previous Mares’ Hurdle Winners

*Prices subject to fluctuation.

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